Page 40 of The Break Out

I ignore his message and notice I have one from Chandler inviting me over to see Evie if I’m available. Even if I wasn’t, I would make time to go see my niece. After I text her that I’ll be over in about thirty minutes I text Spencer because I know I’m going to need to confide in someone and I love Chandler, but she can’t know. I would go to Audrey, but she will definitely tell Chandler. Plus, Spence is my best friend and I feel like we haven’t been as close since moving to Denver because she’s been so holed up with writing.

Which I get, obviously we were around each other every day while she was on tour, so I think I’m just having a hard time adjusting.

Brynn: SOS need a girl meeting ASAP.

Spencer: My place or yours?

I can’t have Jared knowing either because I need to make sure this doesn’t get back to my brother. I know she won’t tell him if I ask her not to, but I can’t run the risk of him overhearing either.

Brynn: Mine. I’m going to visit with Evie right now, but later today, okay?

Spencer: I’ll be there, but are you okay?

Brynn: I will be.

No point in lying. I will be after I have a thorough bitch session with her.

I take a quick shower because I was too worn-out last night to do that, and I can still feel Colton’s sweat on me. I want to scrub the entire top layer of my skin off so it can be like he never touched me, but the persistent ache between my legs makes that impossible.

Once I’m done, I throw my hair up in a ponytail and pull on a pair of leggings and a hoodie and head to see my niece.

Chandler offers to let me hold Evie the second I’m in the door, and after I settle on the couch, I happily take the little bundle who falls asleep on me almost instantly. Vince and Matt hover close by but are trying to act like they aren’t. Brent sitsacross the room watching me, his posture seems calm, clearly him and Chandler are the only ones that trust me.

Of course, the second Brent looked at me I felt like he could tell what I was up to last night. Which is ridiculous, he doesn’t know. Yet, it feels like I have a scarlet letter on my chest, or a billboard on my forehead that says, “I fucked Colton.”

“How are you doing?” I ask Chandler to distract from my thoughts or I feel like I’ll blurt out my transgressions to the whole room.

“Good, actually. It’s pretty nice to have these three around to help, I don’t know how anyone does it with just two parents.”

I bite back a laugh to not jostle the sleeping baby in my arms. “You are pretty lucky. Until they all have to leave for their away games.”

She sighs, “True, that’s the downside. But I have you, Em and Audrey so I still have the help.”

Em is Vince’s sister, and I know she’s just as smitten with the little girl as I am, even though she has two daughters of her own. Even Audrey, who I’m pretty sure never wants kids, loves Evie.

“What about you guys, how are you liking the dad life?” I ask Vince and Matt.

“It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Vince answers with a wide smile. He’s so attractive, when I first met him, I considered making an exception to my “no hockey player” rule for him because he seemed sweet. Too bad I did that for an asshole.

“It’ll be even better when we can get her on some skates in about two months,” Matt says confidently.

All heads swing toward him.

“You think she can skate at three months?” Chandler asks, shocked.

He shrugs. “Yeah, don’t they walk by then?”

“Uh no,” she responds.

“What? So, when does she get fun?” Matt seems genuinely shocked, and I just stare at him with my mouth dropped.

“Probably the same time you get a brain,” Vince mumbles.

“Oh, because it’s my fault she’s the first baby I’ve been around? Not all of us have had the perfect little family,” Matt snaps.

My gaze drops down to Evie because even though he didn’t mean me, I can’t help but feel his words hit me in the chest.

“Knock it off,” Brent scolds, sternly. For some reason it takes me back to when we were all younger and Bryson and Brandon would get into it like they always would, and Brent would be the one that would have to get them to stop.

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